Vending machine



gem, 2, 394?. M. A. TI-ion/IFSONl 2,42%@956 VENDING MACHINE 7 INVENTR.

Sept. 2, E947. M. A.THOMPSON .VENDING MACHINE Filed Nov. 20, 1944 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Patente'cl Sept. 2, 1947 VENDING MACHINE Martin A.Thompson, Davenport, Iowa, assignor of one-half to J. Vern Gregg,Davenport, Iowa Application November 20, 1944, Serial No. 564,283

6 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in vending or distributing machinesand is particularly applicable to machines for distributing slicedbread.

The objects of my invention are to provide a closed container which willhold one` or more loaves of sliced bread or other food arranged inlayers, and protect it from exposure to the air so as to prevent dryingout;

To provide mechanism which can be manually operated by the customer bypressing the edge of his plate against a suitable lever and which willcause the desired number of slices or portions to drop from thecontainer onto his plate;

To provide means which will guard against the slices or portions beinghandled by anyone other than the particular customer obtaining same;

To provide simple, easily operated dispensing apparatus for bread andother foods which may be arranged in multiple units so as to provide forobtaining different kinds of bread.

Other objects will appear from the description.

The preferred form of my apparatus is illustrated lin the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of my apparatus but with one of thelateral housings removed to disclose the moving parts;

Figure 2 is a side elevation from the right of Figure l;

Figure 3 is a sectional detail of the needle bars and loop, but showingthe loop pivoted to the casing instead of to the slide I6 and with theslide I6 omitted;

Figure 4 is an enlarged detail to show the method of securing theadjustable inner walls to the sides of the casing;

Figure 5 is a detail showing the slots in the lower ends of theadjustable walls;

Figure 6 is a detail of the index plate and spring detent-bar;

` Figure 7 is a plan view of the adjusting lever I8 with parts of theoperating means removed;

Figure 8 is a partial side elevation showing the supporting base unitedto the casing.

Figure 9 is a detail showing an alternate form of spring which may beutilized to return the link 30 and the doors 8 and `8.I from open toclosed position.

Similar numerals refer to throughout the several views.

My apparatus comprises a rectangular metal body or casing I preferablylong enough to contain two or three entire loaves of bread, having adoor 2, preferably at the front, hinged to the similar parts body uponhinges 3 which will open to allow the bread or other food to beinserted.

Adjustable side plates 0I are adjustably mounted within the body orcasing I upon bolts 3| upon which wing or knurled nuts 32 are threaded.The wing or knurled nuts are made integral with annular discs 33 which tunder and over brackets 34 suitably united to the body or casing uponthe opposite sides thereof. The side plates are rigidly secured to theinner ends of the bolts 3| which will permit the side plates 0I to beadjusted toward or away from the side of the casing I with the bolt 3 I,so as to lit loaves of different widths.

The lower ends of the side plates are provided with a plurality of slots0.I which correspond to similar slots I.I formed in the lower ends ofthe sides of the body and which permit the entrance and verticaladjustment of the needle points here-A inafter described.

At the bottom of the body or casing, doors 8 and B I are united to thelower end of the casing or body, preferably with spring hinges 9.2 whichact to hold the doors in their closed position. These doors are hingedupon transverse bars 9 and 9.I. The ends of the bar 9 are bent upwardlyto form arms I0 and the ends of the bar 9.I are bent inwardly andslightly downwardly to form arms II.

Links 30 are pivotally united to the ends of the arms I0 and II at eachside of the machine by pivots I2 and I4. The lower end of the links 3|)has a rigidly outwardly extending arm I3 formed thereon to be contactedby the operating lever as hereinafter described.

A coiled spring 21 has its upper end united' to the body and its lowerend secured upon the pivot I4 uniting one of the arms II to itscorresponding link 30 whereby upward traction may be exerted upon thearm Il to hold the doors 8 in normal closed position.

An operating lever 24 has a crossbar 25 pivotally mounted in atransverse bracket V426 across the back of the body with a pair of armsformed integral therewith and extending forwardly and downwardly asshown in Figure 2 and forming a part of the operating lever 24. y

The lower part of these arms is provided with a transverse section 24.Ihaving a U-shaped middle portion 24.2 extending downwardly and thismiddle portion is preferably covered with rubber tubing 24.3 or otherresilient covering and is arranged so that the edge of a plate heldhorizontally may be pushed against it and drive the lower end of thelever backwardly until the plate is directly under the lower end of thebody and in position to catch the slices of bread as discharged by theopening of the doors 8 and 81.

In order to hold the loaf of bread in position and permit the lowerslice or two or three slices to drop out, I provide sets of needles i9carried by U-shaped needle or detent bars i5 which have side armsextending upwardly and pivotally united togsuitablejQbralgel-s 26 by'pivotskll. The brackets 20 are rivetedor otherwisesui'tably se-` curedto a slide I6 the upper part of which is connected by a bar I1 to anadjusting lever I8;J The slide I6 is secured in place and slides? in?flanges I6.l united to the body. A notched' spring detent bar 35 ismountedgupononesside og the body and bears against oneotthesidearmspithe lever I8 so that the notcheswill forma detent. to detain the leverin adjusted position.` yThe lever is movable for a sucient distancetoadejust the position of the slide IB so that the needles 19j-.will entertlirougin;.theisecon-d,V third or fourth., slice from the bottoinpthelowestloaf of.bread` anditlierebyfpermit either ene twp.orittireeslieeeto.-.be fdropued according-5to the adjusted ibsitln. occupied .when theactuating'lever .Egt is .operatedl adjusting. lever: lBacemurieee twolatereb annsunited, by. thettrensyerselpertn telit/thick..mar'bepirotellyme nteiin Aheseinebreekets 25 ee;the;transferteqpettien,E '25.` or; the leveiiZef or Otherwisepivotedtofthefbedv aeadeeiiet.

In order to actuatefthe needlebaril mount thereonga leen 2350i metal-.Seeured tothe needle barfzby.. a; bol,t o r rivet 2,34 Thisloop embracesone arm of the lever 24 and extends rearwardly." The front halt ,ofhtheloop is arrangedlatalsuit'- able angletp the needle. bar sq that as. the.lever 2 4-1s;m9y ed rearwardldtwill-bear againstk one'. sideortneleop..2te-,nd 4tenute..the needle Ther! tube! moveainwardly so .that .theneeu1eSt/i11-petetrete the bread. This is designed to taire boutone.halfgoiithemetionoethe 1eYer2-4-. 'E remainder of: thelcepcisarraneedparallel. t0. the-,needle bee and the-.motioned thelevertbfwehthebereitet portionof; toeloop. wilieauee.- .lever 2ft--tegiurfv binge#vuDQIl; the; arm; I3 and; turn the: arms.. lq. andaiiupontheir.piretseaste @Pere-the demis 8,,and/8J..ar 1dt lu1eJoreadcan;thenE dropdown.ontotlflezplate .oithe operator-.

The slides I6, needle bars l5, loops#tjilevers;2A end levers.. lrmay..be. .theeame en betli- Sisiee [ef theimaehine so. that thefdeseriptiouabove aivsrl, wilrapnlyto;eitherrsiflerbut Greef; the-arme 0f; the leverl8 ..may: extendgfprwardlyfrorn thefront of tnebedy. and: beprovidedwitu a. handle, 18.42 and one handle will besuiiicient..4I1f.1;..or .er; tohold Wedel/ers 24.1Wh lndQQTS in. .closed position..I; prende .arms 2&..er.tendine outwardlyfromcrossbar 25,attherear4 ,ofthemad ehineand connect themtothe bedyfbr-thaeeled spring 28:.11` whichwill Yexert .tension ,tuteur1 the. arms 28 to hold the lever-Zijniclosed position,z

Ify `desire.d..instead of; .usingseparate springs for thearms. 28;'.andthe. arms. .l t, asinele; .tension sprnsmar1be use ^tefeenneettlt1e free.enssef the. armezzand .the .arms H; wherebytension, White. continuouslyexerted; upon bothlof said armsg-- My apparatus may; .bepreyided.brackete- 29-111 .the form of: rectangular. lueurs; united t0, the rearo'fA` thebodyby1whichit canile. hungupona wah ionpe'es, hooksA oir-anyothereommeu ferm. of support and may. alsobe providedwith a base-yplate' 3 6; having an upwardly extending yarm vor section 31; to'whicnthe. body, maybe seQl-lred. by. boltsor 'rivets' 3.8., The. base. 3,6..will be. .spaced far. en'ou'ghlbelowthe' body to. permit .freemovement.

of the lever 24 and the application of the plate of the customer.

A window 1 may be united to the door through which the quantity of breadremaining may be observed. An index plate 4 maybe mounted upon the frontof the machine with numerals 1, 2 and 3 thereon to indicate the numberof slices to be dispensed in the different positions of the lever I8.

A top or cover4 may berprovided with a knob 5 united thereto -foruseaslalfhandleiandtfmay t easily upon the top of the casing or cabinet, Inorder to protect the working parts from dust and preventinjury tofingers or other things coming in contact with the working parts, ahousing or shield 6;-should be added on each side of the casingor.body.. andi may be attached to the main casingsby. any suitable. meansor formed integral therewith and with an'opening in the top thereof toaccommodate the bars I8 and 35. In Figure 1 this shield is omitted fromthe right side of the ligure so-as to .disclos e .4the workingl.parts,

Win18. I 'have showntwonoors. ati the .bottom or the casing to supporttheY loaf oi bread'. and.` haveshown them as covering'the'entireopeningll' it is `obvious thatasingledoor, covering .approximately .halfAor even' lessjcnthe .opening, would be..

ampietosupport the leafnfbrea .-andeithertne door 8. or the-.door 8JAcan bie.[omitted.ivtl'ioutsubaA stantially impairing the operation.fmyappaa,

cept. asspecifically stated therein. t ...the use `or tviiodoorsi` Inthespeciiication. and claims I use the. terms.. bodyl orA casing or.cabinetlf as. Ineaningthe g vertical tubular structurellas shown inlligures 2, 3,A 4,. 6,. '7'.and9,and.the,term datent bari as.. used .inthe claims to. refer7 .to ..the needle bar. .as used V.infthe-,specicationor. tor'. any recognized equivalent therefor. l

It isobvious that variousfmodiiications ,maybeI made 'in the size, shapeand-arrangem'entliofthe.. parts of myapparatus'withoutdepartingronithueY spirit. of my,.invention and. I do .ndtlimitfmy claims to the .precise mechanism. illustrated in the drWing-s"While I jheve.. deeerbed .apparatus as.. used with sliced bread, itisbvio'usthat tribali-be2 utilized .fot other. f ormsfoi food).such' asthin crusted rolls', etc. arranged in stacks withlayls of. uniformthickness, I, have/.,shown 1 needles as. lily;v preferred. form 101Edetest. for holding. the loaves .in positionwloilethe last. slice oritwo or three slices are being removed.

The detentmay beadjllstable by.lf1ai v irr1 g V `the detent-barsliYQted( to, the l. slidesy `I ,as .sl'iqwn 'in` Figure 2 ornon-adjustable detents maybe ma-de by pivoting the.` detent-.bars to thecasinglitlself as shown in Figure .3.

I-claim:

l. A dispenser for sliced bread coniprisinga-` Vrfaz Casing hal/'ing an.Owning fof m3; in sfr' tionot oneor mmeslioed.A loaves of bread thereinon 'enda a horizontale'dl'.iorY united to a hinge-bar revolvably secured'to the loweredge ot thecasing t0 Support the. breadlwheu inlelosedpeeitn e serine attached teen@ Ceettine withthe easing. and the. unse-ber teheld the deer. torment closed position, a manually vertically adjustableslide slidingly mounted in flanges united to'a side of the casing nea-rthe lower end thereof,a detent-bar pivotally mounted upon the` slide.and having vertical arms united at the.lower. .end by a transverse.messbar-, inwardly projecting pins rigidly. united to the. .crossbar,.vertical zslotsin the. lower .part of; the .esiuathieilghWliifathe.

pins may project, an operating lever pivotally mounted upon the casingwith its free end extending below the casing, a loop-bar having itsfront end united to the detent-bar and an intermediate section extendingrearwardly and outwardly from the detent-bar and a rear sectioncontinuous therewith and extending parallel to the detent-crossbar, saidoperating bar being arranged to extend through the .loop-bar and to movethe detent-bar inwardly during a portion of the travel ofl the operatingb-ar, and an arm formed integral with the hinge-bar of the door with itsfree end pivotally united to one end of a link bar, the other end ofwhich carries a lateral projection to Contact and be actuated by theoperating lever to open the door during the latter part of its travel.

2. A bread dispenser as described in claim 1, and resilient meanscoacting with the operating lever to return the operating lever toforward position upon being released after each actuation thereof.

3. A bread dispenser for sliced bread comprising a vertical casinghaving a front door for the insertion of one or more sliced loaves ofbread therein, a pair of horizontal doors secured by hinge-bars to thelower edge of the casing to support the bread when in closed position,arms united to the hinge bars and a connecting link between the arms, aspring coacting with the arms, link and one of the hinge-bars to holdthe horizontal doors in normal closed position, adjustable slidesslidingly mounted in vertical flanges united to the casing on oppositesides and near the lower end thereof, detent-bars pivotally mounted'upon the slides respectively having vertical arms united at the lowerend by transverse `crossbars, inwardly projecting pins rigidly united tothe crossbars, an operating loop-shaped lever pivotally mounted upon andsurrounding the casing with its free end extending below the casing,loop-bars having their front ends respectively united to the detent-barsand having intermediate sections extending rearwardhr and outwardly fromthe detent-bars and rear sections continuous therewith and extendingparallel to the detent-cross bars, the operating bar being arranged toextend through the loopbars and to move the detent-bars inwardly duringa portion of the travel of the operating bar, and arms formed integralwith the hinge bars of the doors with their free ends pivotally unitedto one end of a link bar the other end of which carries a stop formedintegral with the link in position to contact and be actuated -by theoperating lever to open the doors during the latter part of its travel.

4. A bread dispenser for sliced bread comprising a vertical casinghaving an opening for the insertion of one or more sliced loaves ofbread therein, a pair of horizontal doors secured by hinged bars to thelower edge of the casing to support the bread when in closed position,arms united to the hinge bars and a connecting link between the arms, aspring coacting' with the arms, link and one of the hinge-bars to holdthe door in normal closed position, vertically adjustable slidesslidingly mounted in vertical flanges -united to the casing on oppositesides and near the lower end thereof, detent-bars pivotally mounted uponthe slides respectively having vertical arms united at the lower end bya transverse crossbar, inwardly projecting pins rigidly united to thecrossbars, an operating lever having side arms united by crossbars attop and bottom pivotally mounted upon and surrounding the casing withits free end extending below the casing, loop-bars having their frontends respectively united to the detent-bars and having intermediatesections extending rearwardly and outwardly from the detent-bars andrear sections continuous therewith and extending parallel to thedetent-crossbars, the operating lever being arranged to coact with theloop-bars and to move the detent-crossbars inwardly during a portion ofthe travel of the operating lever and arms formed integral with thehinge bars of the doors with their free ends pivotally united to one endof a link bar, the other end of which carries a stop Vformed integralwith the link bar in position to contact and be actuated by theoperating lever during the latter part of its travel, to open the doors.

5. A bread dispenser as described in claim 1 and a manually adjustablelever pivoted on the casing with forwardly extending arms connected tothe slides by links pivotally united thereto.

6. A bread dispenser as described in claim 1, a manually adjustablelever pivoted on the casing with forwardly extending arms connected tothe slides by links pivotally united thereto, and a notched or serrateddetent-bar mounted upon the casing to contact and retain the adjustinglever in any one of a plurality of adjusted positions.

MARTIN A. THOMPSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,621,619 Ashe i Mar. 22, 19271,830,805 Myer Nov. 10, 1931 2,272,669 Johnson Feb. 10, 1942

